Phantom Stallion: Hard Hearts
by TwilightCrescent
Summary: When Gram and her parents go to a cattle fair in California, they leave Sam with the Elys. When a young colt wanders onto the ranch can she teach him that hands can be gentle? Can Sam teach the whole family to have a little fun?
1. Rebellion and Surprise

Sam glared against the sun as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. Holding a woven lead rope, she leaned back against causing the rope to become tight and creak in protest.

"C'mon Ace! I won't be able to do this everyday, just let me wash the soap out of your mane."

Currently, Samantha Forster was given a rare five minutes to give her horse, Ace, a spray off. Sam fished inside her pocket for a slice of apple and grinned in victory when Ace lessened the strain on the rope. Slowly, Sam crept to Aces side and stretched her arm out and away from Ace. Ace who was too preoccupied with the tasty morsel, didn't notice Sam spraying all the slick mud off his coat. Sam barely suppressed a '_Yes' _and gave her beloved horse the apple slice. She heard a chuckle behind her and Sam whipped around, already guessing who it is.

"If the only way to have your horse listen to you is to bribe it…good luck."

Growling at Jake, who was leaning casually against the fence, she picked up the hose and sprayed him causing Jake to sputter in anger and scramble for cover.

"Awww Sam. No need to get all defensive."

Sam rolled her eyes and barely suppressed the urge to stick her tongue out. _Only_ _one more day of this around the clock teasing and I will only have to deal with him for three hours after school ends. _

Sam has long ago decided to be as quiet as Jake and annoy him as much as possible. _Why? Well, Jake has to appreciate me for what I am. No, maybe I just want him jealous and less protective._ What he did not know, is that she was planning to give him a shock tomorrow at school.

Last week, she felt something different. A rebellion, a thrill. There was a foreign ache inside of her that wanted her dad to tell her how beautiful she was. Sam wanted to feel noticed. She wanted to date guys. Of course, she blamed it on nerves due to school, but she certainly wanted to do _something._ Her heart fluttered as she imagined people not thinking she was a boy or an ugly little cowgirl.

Resuming to the task in front of her, she patted Ace on the neck and began squeezing the water out of his shiny bay coat and mane. She brushed him and turned him out to the 10 acre pasture. Ace stayed rock still and nudged her through the top of the gate.

"Oh okay, you can have the rest of the apple."

Sam spoke quietly and began giving him the rest of the apple piece by piece while muttering to him in the ear.

"They won't know what hit them. What do you think Ace? I hope Gram could see me before she leaves with….Wait! They are leaving tomorrow for the cattle auction! Am I going to stay here or to a friend's house?"

She frantically searched her mind for any mention from her family as to where she was going to go as her Gram, father and step-mother went on the Autumn cattle auction. Sam begged to go the moment she heard about the trip but her father, Wyatt, firmly said "No" and lectured her on her education.

Sam turned and ran to her home and yanked the door open.

"Gram, am I going to stay here when you leave?"

Gram smiled and wiped her hands on her apron and cocked her head to the side,

"Honey, I just got off the phone with Mrs. Ely a couple of minutes ago, she said she needed company since she was stuck with the men all the time and wanted some help with cooking. I told her you can sleep over there and help out. Oh, and she said to bring Ace so if you forget or need anything, then you could get it without any trouble."

One word escaped Sam's mouth as Gram finished speaking,

"Wha?"


	2. Cake and Windows

Disclaimer for all chapters: I do not own anything you recognize of Terri Farley and her wonderful series, Phantom Stallion.

Sam stared dumbly at Gram. _How could I stay there? For a whole week? How am I going to survive? Jake is so going to kill me when he finds out… _Gram looked at Sam with a glint in her eye,

"Now Sam, this is a neighborly thing to do, Mrs. Ely has not had proper female company and if it makes you feel better, you and Mrs. Ely can go for a ride and explore a bit. She has always said she wanted to go for a ride without being teased by her sons and husband. Also-"

Sam could imagine herself and Jakes mom going for a ride. _Maybe they could visit that old ghost town again…No. I will not give in._ Gram still went on without noticing Sam's determination clearly written on her face.

"- you won't have to do chores around here or at Three Ponies, unless you count cooking…"

Gram hit home. No chores for a week and maybe when school starts Mrs. Ely could help her with history homework. Besides, what can go wrong? I am just staying for a while. Sam straightened up, as if taking up a challenge, she spoke,

"Oh fine, but I am not going to be the one who breaks it to Jake."

Swiftly, Gram whipped around and opened up the front door and called out to Jake, who was un-successfully trying to separate Strawberry from the rest of the River bend herd to halter her so he could exercise the frisky mare around the round corral.

Lately, Strawberry has been getting lazy and stubborn. Obviously, that was a bad thing to Sam's dad, Wyatt.

"Jake come inside, and give that horse a break. I have some interesting news from your mother."

When Jake didn't budge, Gram sighed and called out,

"I have some of your favorite cake in the refrigerator."

That did it. Sam marveled on how Gram could get people moving from just about everything with her cooking. As Jake made his way up the porch, Sam realized that it may not be the best thing in the world to be there when Jake finds out she was staying at her house. Silently, Sam crept up the stairs whilst Jake settled down with his favorite yellow cake with brown sugar and toasted coconut icing. Sam was just about to step into her bedroom (that had a lock to keep away people with unpredictable tempers) when Gram called out in a sugar sweet tone,

"Oh Sam, come down here. I need some help."

Sam groaned. Gram had tricked her and she had to go down. If she didn't, then she will have to deal with her Dad and a lecture about "Disrespecting who need help"

Sam shyly shuffled into the kitchen and questioned,

"Did you tell him?"

Jake jerked his head up. _Him_ obviously meant himself and he was quiet intrigued about what Sam was so nervous about.

"Sam take this towel and wipe the windows down,"

Gram instructed and tossed Samantha the worn out white cloth and she started scrubbing the windows, far away from Jake, whose curiosity was growing. A minute passed and Sam was just about finished with the first window. _Three more to go_. Sam increased her scrubbing speed and went to the next. Finished. _Two more to go._ Gram smiled down at Jake who was finishing his first piece of cake and going to the next._ Is Gram trying to make Jake so full he can't move?_ Sam thought vaguely.

"Now Jake," Gram started. _Only one more window to go_, "As you may of heard, we are going to be gone for a little over a week and we heard your mother has become quite lonely and tired. So, we thought maybe Sam could help out at your ranch and stay over for some female company. We have asked Sam-,"

Sam ran across the room to drop the towel in the sink and started to run back towards the door.

"- and she said yes."

Silence was heard, until the front door slammed and Sam ran for dear life. One thing she was certain about Jake, he was a good runner and it was best to get a head start.

A/N: That was my second chapter, sorry for the delay. Sickness is good and bad. Good means more must needed sleep and bad is the pain and lateness of other chapters. I would like to thank the reviewers and would answer them, but I think that you would want to see the story put up earlier and I will respond to the reviews in my next chapter which will be put up sometime early next week.


	3. High Heels and Change

Sam swayed back and forth of her feet. No, she wasn't sick, but she was trying on heels. Black and strapped, they were a challenge. Sam steadied herself as she took a couple of steps. Though she didn't want to look slutty, she wanted to have a bit more style and sexiness. She inwardly blushed, this was so unlike her. But….she wanted to show Jake that she isn't a "mosquito", as he called her.

Tomorrow…tomorrow she would go to school again and kick some butt. Slowly, Sam took another step and another and finally she could walk without wobbling….thank god! Tired of all this fashion sense, Sam spoke to herself as she took off her shoes,

"I have done my chores, now a treat for me!"

Sam slipped on her comfortable riding boots and stepped downstairs and outside. The sunlight hit her immediately and she walked around and called out to Ace in a sing song voice,

"Oh Ace, time for a ride!"

Ace snorted and stamped his foot. Nevertheless, he trotted over to the fence and waited to be ridden. Sam smiled and grabbed the lead rope and halter. She entered the gate and slipped the halter on and clipped the lead rope and led him out.

After saddling him and securing the bridle, the mustang danced on his feet excitedly. Sam smiled and put her foot in the stirrup and glided on. The saddle was soft after years of use and Sam grinned as she gathered up the reins.

"Just a walk right now, we will pick up the pace later."

They walked out at a leisurely pace.

Sam brightened when the ranch was out of sight. Leaning over, she whispered in Aces ears.

"Now for some action."

Leaning forward, she smooched at him and Ace galloped across the playa, full of energy and excitement. Hundreds of sagebrush pashed by in a blur as the wind blew back her hair and Sam vaguely wished she wore her hat. Ace suddenly stopped. Sam nearly got threw off the saddle but kept her seat. In the distance, the Phantom shone in the sun as he watched over his mares and foals. He neighed harshly at a couple of naughty fillies who were prancing about and making splashes all over his mares in the river. The Phantom stopped turned his attention away from the foals and his eyes locked on to Sams. Brown eyes met blue and Sam sat still. The air was tense for a few minutes. Sam barely let herself breath as she watched her stallion assess the surroundings of his herd for safety. Finally, Zanzibar neighed happily and trotted over to her, but keeping one eye on his herd. Sam noticed his coat was turning snow white and Sam smiled sadly at him.

"I guess both of us are changing now."

The Phantom nickered as if agreeing with her and they both watched his herd drink and graze. That is, until a familiar neigh broke the silence


	4. Emery's Blushes

**To all reviewers: As much as I wanted to leave a cliffhanger, I wanted to update quickly. I wrote this up in school so spare me if you hate this chapter.**

**For those of you who want to know about the romance, here it is**

**Sam will probably date Gabe for a while. Wait! Read the next sentence**

**She will date afew people and MAY date Jake.**

**But, you never know, but I encourage all readers not to stop reading this story because Sam and Jake don't look into each others eyes and fall in love and confess their love to each other and become Soul Mates. As I said before, I am 95 sure Sam will date him.**

Almost immediately, Zanzibar and his herd disappeared. Sam coughed at the dust that the horses made as they took their quick getaway. HEr heart ached and thudded heavily as she watched her friends go.

She turned and saw a frisky red gelding. The horse in question had an old saddle strapped on him, with deep brown reins. His rider was swaying from side to side, like a kid who just learned how to walk.

The rider was Gabe.

Gabe has gotten over his car accident a bit and became less moody around Sam. He quickly tied to gain control of Firefly, or Pirate as Sam liked to call him.

The mustang has gotten slightly used to a rider upon his back, only that the only rider that could was the one on top of him now. Gabe's parents allowed him to stay longer so they could find a way to transport the mustang to their own town. In the meantime, they hired a horse and rider therapist for their physical and mental health.

"Sam!"

Sam swiveled in the saddle to get an easier view of him. She waved back and turned back around to see the Phantom's silvery tail and a cloud of dust. Disappointed, Sam trotted Ace over to Gabe and whipped her hands on her jeans to keep her hands from getting sweaty.

"Why, it's Emery!"

Sam smiled happily at his blush. She had lately taken to giving him a nickname because of his green orbs. Sam pressed harder at her little "Embarrass Gabe" scheme

"Did you know you look even hotter then ever when you blush that lovely shade?"

Gabe turned scarlet, unable to make a good comeback to Sam's innocent inquiry. Victoriously, Sam let Ace graze and gave Gabe a hug, still in the saddle, causing him to blush even more.

"How are things?"

She questioned softly. Gabe leaned back in the saddle and sighed

"Things are getting better. That teacher is annoying. She thinks I may die if I move my toes too much. Can you maybe come to the ranch with me? My aunt ordered pizza an hour ago…"

Brightened at spending more time with her friend, Sam nodded and spoke

"As long as I get to call my Gram when we get there..."

A broad smile broke out n his face as he turned Pirate around with some difficulty. Sam turned also and followed, completely oblivious to Gabes eyes sneaking back at her.


	5. Of Phones and Movies

Sam wiped the dust from her cheek and trotted Ace up to Gabe.

"So, is Firefly working well for you?"

Gabe grinned. Light came into his eyes as he spoke

"He has a smooth gate when I have him under control, which is not often. Though, I bet he will come around. I don't want to push him because…you know… I don't want him to lose his spirit."

Sam nodded in understanding.

The sun glared onto two riders that were walking down a small slope. The first rider, Gabe, swung off of his flashy horse and flashed the second rider a grin, which was returned.

"Thanks for coming by Sam. Are you doing anything for the rest of the day?"

Sam looked surprised but happy nevertheless and mimicked Gabe by smoothly swinging out of her own saddle.

"Don't think so."

Gabe sat down on a green plastic chair and began to clip on a very slightly bendable cast so he could allow his muscles and bones to finish repairing themselves.

"Do you think you may want to watch a movie or something?"

Gabe trailed off. He looked hopeful and Sam couldn't argue.

"Sure. As long as I leave before it is completely dark out."

Gabe relaxed and rolled his shoulders. They sat in silence for a bit before. He grabbed Sam's hand and dragged her inside.

"Well, come on then. I for one am hungry."

Sam too had smelt the freshly delivered pizza and happily walked through the menacing iron fence and through the garden. With an extravagant motion, Gabe opened up the front door and yelled.

"I am back! Oh, and I also brought Sam!"

While Gabe was scurrying around the cozy house to find the correct utensils for their delicious meal, Sam found herself the phone. After four rings a familiar voice graced her ears

"Hello? Forster's house, Jake speaking."

Sam blinked. _What was Jake doing at her house?_

"Ummm, Jake? This is Sam and I called to tell my family that I am at Gabe's house and that I won't be home till dark. Bye!"

Sam hung up the phone and relaxed against the wall behind her. That was close. Jake and herself hadn't talked since the revelation of Sam's planned sleepover at his house and Sam has been dreading it.


	6. Lateness, Kisses, and Stars Galore!

Sam sighed and pressed further against the wall behind her. She closed her eyes and suddenly stood up.

"Sam, are you okay?"

Startled, Sam jumped and turned to Gabe who was standing with a bowl of popcorn in one arm, a blanket draped across another and two cans of soda being held in the same arm as the blanket. Seeing him trying to balance all of the stuff, Sam laughed. All of the pressure of her new appearance tomorrow, Jake, and her future stay at the Ely's vanished and she smiled.

"C'mon lets go watch that movie."

Sam yawned as the credits of the two hour movie came on and snuggled into Gabe who was to the left of her. At first, she was confused with why Gabe brought a blanket, but she found out that the house got very chilly at night, even in the summer. _Wait, night?_ Sam stood up in alarm and scrambled for the clock.

"Gabe! I need to get home! I was supposed to be back five minutes ago!"

Gabe eased himself off of the couch and began to clean up.

"Well then, get going"

He said with a playful smile

"Wait! One last thing…"

The teen grabbed Sam's hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. Sam's breath caught in her throat as he pulled her close to him, their bodies lightly touching. With hesitation, Sam lifted her eyes up to his and looked at him. Gabe broke out in a small smile at her gaze and lightly tucked her hair behind her ear. Sam felt shivers go down her spine as her mind went numb.

Gabe leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss. Sam stood there, spellbound, after he broke it.

Gabe pushed her softly towards the door breaking her out of her stupor.

"See you later. I hope the punishment for being late isn't too hard."

Sam turned and glared at Gabe for kicking her out. _How rude!_ Turning her thoughts and emotions away, she ran to Ace. Tacking him up quicker then a rabbit could run from a coyote, she was in the saddle and galloping home.

The wind blew in her hair and the smell of sage graced her nose when she cut through bushes and puddles. Luckily, a few stars and the full moon helped her maneuver her way around. She slowed her bay gelding down on the River Bend Bridge and relaxed. No one was yelling at her, yet. She untacked her little horse, brushed him down and whispered an apology in his ear.

"Sorry for running you hard, I owe you a sugar cube."

Tiptoeing inside she looked around, no one was swooping on her like a vulture. Slowly she crept upstairs and changed into her pajamas. She sat down on her bed and smiled happily, her first sneak-in-without-getting-in-trouble. Maybe, if she played her cards right, she could deal with school tomorrow, her stay at Jake's ranch in a few days, and Jake. Also, if she was lucky, she could see the Phantom, her Blackie, her Zanzibar, some time. The stars blinked and twinkled as the girl climbed under the covers with a smile.

AN: So peaceful…

Any who, sorry for not updating. I had a birthday (APRIL 1st), and a couple of dentist appointments (I don't need braces!), boy problems (Ex showing off and new crush flirting) Of course, I got sick again (Food Poisoning! Sarcasm Yay!) AIMS and all that other crappy stuff that are excuses.

I promise that tomorrow you will see Sam sabotage Rachel's status as the prettiest girl in school and the guy's reaction to the new Sam when she flaunts her stuff. Don't worry; I will try to keep Sam's personal (lity) as close as possible but she will be a bit more girlish.


	7. Too Much Silence

Sam jolted out of bed as the alarm clock rang in her ears, her hand slipped though as she moved to hit it to turn it off. The clock fell onto the floor as Sam scrambled after it. She knew that at least one of the occupants in the house probably heard her as she heard slow steps walking up the stairs. Sam slapped the top of the alarm clock and slammed it on the top of her bed stand.

"Sam?"

Came the sleepy voice of her father. Sam froze, the alarm didn't go off like this on accident, she needed the time in the morning to fix herself up. Sam called out,

"Sorry Dad, I guess I set my alarm clock wrong. Sorry"

Mentally, Sam crossed her fingers, she hoped her Dad was too tired to notice how unusual it was for someone to set their alarm clock "accidental" two hours earlier.

"Put it to the right time now."

Came the annoyed voice of her Dad. Sam sighed and slowly stood up from the floor to the door and opened it up a smidge.

"Goodnight Dad"

Sam said with a fake yawn to the retreating form pounding on the steps back to the first floor of her house. When she heard the door close, Sam herself closed the door then turned around again. _Where to start? Where to start?_ Sam thought. She answered her own question by spotting the plastic bag of items she put together when Sam went shopping with Jen to the drug store to buy regular household things like bandages and shampoo from a list her parents gave her. While there, Sam found some things to help her with the beauty part of herself.

_**Flashback**_

_"Sam look!"_

_Jen screamed at Sam. Sam jumped and yelled_

_"Ahhhhh! What?"_

_Jen laughed at Sam and Sam turned to her one of her best friends with a glare. Sam was thinking about some of the scary movie covers they had in a small cubicle at the corner of the shop and was in the middle of some frightening thoughts on it. Sam's eyes trailed from Jen's amused face to where she was pointing. Sam smiled and ran into it._

_"Here we have a country girl exploring a new world. The girl world. Dum Dum Dum. A ferocious place where wearing the wrong brand of mascara will kill your social life in just a few seconds. As you can see, she is lost in wonder at all the alien objects. Watch out, this naive creature doesn't know the difference between concealer and foundation."_

_Jen narrated as Sam walked down the aisle grabbed random items from the rack. Sam seemed calm about Jen's little speech until when she got close enough, Sam smacked her with a hair dye box._

_"Hey! What was that for and what is that for?"_

_Sam smirked and put it in the pile in her arms. _

_" You see Jen, when one insults anothers knowledge they won't get away with it without and a) insult thrown back orb) a smack. I am currently out of school even if it starts again in a week and my mind power is low so I settled with B. Also, this product is for changing shade, color, or depth in what us Earth dwellers call hair"_

_Sam said slowly to Jen as if she was stupid. At the astonished look on Jen's face at her answer, Sam laughed after a few moments,Jen joined in._

_**End Flashback**_

Sam smiled fondly at the memory and dumped everything out onto the bed. She grabbed the first thing that came close to her hand. A face mask. Sam scrunched up her nose and pictured being one of those girls that had those stupid green masks on and having cucumbers over their eyes and being plain snobby about well, everything. Nevertheless, she bought it, so she has to use it. Sam tied her hair back and globbed the creamy substance on her face. She missed a little and got it in her mouth and Sam spit it out. Sam looked around for something to wipe her hands with and she grabbed an old t-shirt to use. Throwing it on the ground, she found her next objective. Fingernails. Sam shifted through the objects in the bag and found some nail polish and top coat. _Whatever that is..._ Sam thought quite irked. Maybe it was because it felt like she couldn't move her face because to the mask.

Sam slowly, but surely, swept the Easter Egg pink color over her nails. She decided to pick that color because it wasn't to girlish like hot pink would. After 10 minutes of wiping, drying and coloring, Sam had her nails perfectly done. All she had to do was wait and not move her hands for 10 more minutes.

After those long and treacherous moments of not being able to move her hands to scratch her arm three minutes in, Sam crept to the bathroom to wash her face off. Sam was quite surprised on how well her face felt after it was washed off. It was so soft and glowing. Sam whipped around and ran back into the bedroom to do her toenails. She repeated what she did with her nails and stole the time to take a 15 minute nap. When she woke up, Sam walked quickly outside after slipping on some gym shoes to do her chores about a little over a hour early.A half an hour later, Sam noticed that it was 5:30 in the morning and she still had an hour and a 20 minutes left, so Sam took the time to take the hair dye out. It was only three shades darker then her natural hair color and she was just going to dye her bottom layers of her hair. Sam slipped on the gloves and pulled the hair up that she didn't want to dye and began to follow the directions.

45 minutes later, Sam stepped out of the shower and towel dried her hair. Using a comb she brushed through her hair and continued to when she got into her bedroom. While in the shower she scrubbed her body, shaved and shampooed and conditioned her hair. Next stop, clothes. Sam looked through her closet and found some jean capris, a army green tanktop with some studs on the straps, and a silky light brown spaghetti strap with dark brown lace trimming around the bust slipped on the capris and spaghetti strap and then put the tank top on. She smiled at the mirror and turned around to see the outfit at all different angles. It showed off all of her good features and covered the bad. It was missing something, some jewelery. Sam grabbed at a box with dust on it that was full of jewelry. She found a bracelet of seashells that she put together at the California coast when she was sent there by her father after the accident. Her Aunt took her there a week into the stay there. Also, Sam had bought a long necklace from a booth nearby that had rocks, beads, and some shells threaded into it. Sam also grabbed her charm necklace with horses, shells, cowboy hats, and many other charms clipped on.

Sam stood back and looked at her woven horse hair bracelet and fingered it and slipped it on the same arm with the bracelets on. Sam turned dand brushed through her hair once more and ran back into the bathroom. To flip back the hair around her face and around her shoulders and back with her step mom's blow dryer. Sam popped the makeup out of the packages and applied mascara and a golden eyeshadow to her eyes and some long lasting lip gloss that stayed on even after eating, which was good because she had to feed her stomach. Sam closed her eyes as she stepped downstairs, her lightbrown flip-flops clapping against her heels, She was going to face the family. The moment she stepped into the kitchen, she heard silence and then her step mom and Gram started clapping and smiled. Though, her Dad just stared at her with saddness. Sam noticed and didn't say anything. She ate her food and grabbed her bag and waited for Gram to finish up. While waiting Sam went upstairs to brush her teeth and floss and came back downstairs. Gram was in the car and Sam silently slid into the passenger seat.

"Is Dad mad at me?"

Sam asked quietly. Gram smiled sadly and turned to Sam.

"No. It is just...you look so much like your mother...you look beautiful."

Sam herself smiled sadly and felt tears prickling at her eyes and sniffed.

"Thanks Gram"

Sam stepped out of the Buick and stood by the bus stop with Jen. Finally, Jen couldn't contain herself and gave a very un-Jen like squeal and hugged Sam.

"You look great. It is time to show the world that you are in it and that you do have a beauty inside yourself."

The bus came and Sam and Jen stepped on. Like at the kitchen everything turned silent fora moment and murmering filled up the room. The two friends sat at the end of the bus and talked quietly amongst themselves about when they can go out and ride some time that week.

The bus came to a stop and Sam and Jen stepped out they walked in the main buliding engrossed with the conversation on the next cattle drive when silence came. Sam looked up and around. They found people where staring at them more specifically, Sam. Sam smiled uneasily and walked to her locker she took out her books for History and walked into the classroom with Jen and the noise that she heard before the door closed was many cat-calls.

* * *

Authors Note: Ta Da! The exposure. I won't put all my excuses down now because I just wrote that chapter right now and my fingers are tired. I hope you liked it. You can expect next chapter to be the school day and Jake's reaction. Wink Wink

It is 90 certain it will be Sam/Jake but it may be someone else. Remember, Sam will date a couple people before she meets Jake. So wait.

Please review and if you have any questions ask me. I am bored and since Summer vacation started, I will update quicker because on this chapter I was having a WB.

P.S. The outfit of Sam's is gorgeous I searched the internet, magazines, and my own closet and I found that that outfit absolutely took the gold.


	8. Chapter 8

I have abandoned this story. If any authors are willing to take upon this story, please message me and we can work something out. I am very open minded. Thank you faithful fans.

I may write again someday.

But not today.


End file.
